Monday, October 29, 2012

Author Guest Post & Giveaway: Andris Bear...

It’s that spooky time of year again. The time for bonfires
on a crisp, autumn night, telling scary stories to the little ones as you roast marshmallows over
the flames.

The time for setting candy on the porch, then hiding behind
a bush and jumping out at the trick or treaters! Wait—you don’t do that?

Oh. Me neither.

Halloween never fails to put me in a good mood. There’s
crispness in the air, a breath of

anticipation for all things dark and dangerous to come out
and play. Not for real, of course, that would have me piddling my skirts and yowling like a black
cat with its tail under the rocker.

But I do like to be frightened. Love it. When my police
officer hubby works nights, I like nothing better than to douse the lights and put on a scary movie.
Alone. All month long! October is my scare-yourself-stupid free pass. Why?

Well, who doesn’t like imagining something dark and sinister
creeping up behind you in the night, making your heart pound so hard you fear it’ll rip
from your chest and flop to the floor?!

Not you? Well, okay. Moving on.

Candy! Let’s not forget CANDY!

The sweets you pass out at Halloween tell me a lot about
your personality, even your romance choices. How, you ask? Well, I’ve done this super, in depth,
scientific study. It’s called the internet. And I like to make crap up. See? Totally legit.

Here are your choices. No, you can’t have more. Just follow
the honking list.

SKITTLES-you love rainbows and Happily Ever Afters. You’re
charmed by the dashing hero with the loyal steed and giant…sword. He’ll sweep you off
your feet and ride you (Ahem. No pun intended.) off into the sunset because everything is
stardust and moonbeams for you, my little dreamer. Sicko.

SMARTIES-they’re the universal treat. No one likes a dumb
moose for their hero, no sir. But those of you who pass these out to kidlets, prefer an
intelligent hero, maybe even a little cunning, a scoundrel. Someone who wins the heroine not with his
drool-on-your-shoes good looks (although I’m totally fine with a hottie, ya’ll), but one
who woos with cleverness and savvy. Rowr. Hopefully, he’s not uglier than the back end of a
rhino.

SNICKERS (or other candy bars)-Oh, you fall for the pretty
package, don’t you? You like ‘em smooth and tempting with a little unexpected surprise
inside. Your hero isn’t quite what he seems, is he? I support this choice. Women love surprises,
especially pretty ones. Carry on.

SOUR PATCH KIDS (or balls, or worms, or whatever)-You don’t
know what the hell you want because you want it all. Pick a side, you greedy little
hobgoblin. Sweet or sour. You can’t have both. You’re probably into BDSM with all that pleasure/pain
mixing you’re throwing around.

DOVE DARK CHOCOLATE-This. Mine. We dark choco lovers want
our heroes like our indulgences; smooth, decadent, and bad for us in a good,
good way. My perfect hero is dark, a little bitter, one who rides the fence on good and evil.
He’s a near villain, teetering on the edge of ruin, saved only by the heroine against his will. Le sigh.

TOOTSIE POPS-Into challenges, are we? He’s cold, stoic, and
a little off putting. If you’re looking for a chewy morsel, go elsewhere. It takes a lot of
patience to crack his hard outer shell and still, he won’t show his gooey center to just any
heroine.

CANDY CORN-You’re the devil. No one likes candy corn. You
shall roast over your own Hell pit for passing it out. Now, go sit in the corner and think
about what you’ve done. Sadist.

Now, I like many flavors of hero. In fact, I like them all.
From the cold and stoic to the dapper and charming. And every delicious one in between.

In my paranormal romance, Angel Unborn, I give you a hot
twofer, spinning my hero from a

Snickers and a Tootsie Pop. Yeah, that sounds kinda gross,
doesn’t it? I’ll let you decide for yourself what flavor he is.

Hell has literally come to Earth for one mortal and what’s worse, she is expected to leave behind all hope for a family of her own to stand in defense of humanity against the darkest forces of Hell. But when Satan offers her the normal life she covets, Joey must decide if the price of mankind’s salvation is worth her own damnation.Strong-willed Joey Benton is the half-mortal child of an angel with heavenly powers. She has no knowledge of her heritage or the power running through her veins until she meets a handsome stranger who forces her to question her life and the world around her. And she quickly becomes a key player in a battle that will define a victory for Heaven or Hell.Ursus, a sexy Archangel, doesn’t want the responsibility of another charge, especially when Joey is so defiant. Protecting her from Hell might very well be the biggest challenge of his immortal life. But when his feelings for Joey get in the way of his duty, it’s a challenge he refuses to lose.

EXCERPT:

His chest vibrated with a laugh, but the good humor didn’t
reach his eyes. “Michael wouldn’t reassign me even if I wanted him to.” He pushed in close, menace
pulsating the air around him. “Do you really think to send me slinking off into the night? That I
wouldn’t fight to keep you?”

“The thought crossed my mind?” I asked hesitantly.

He bared his teeth. “I suggest you rethink it.”

The violence in his tone raised my brows. I’d approached
this with logic, putting myself aside for his safety. How to send away the one I needed to keep close?

“Are you daft or deaf? We are a no go, capiche? I can’t….”
lose you again. I twisted my fingers in my hair and tugged the tufts with annoyance. At this rate, I’d be
bald by the end of the day.

My frustration bounced right off my knight-in-shining-wings.
He regarded me as if I’d announced myself an all-you-can-eat-buffet. And then hung an open sign above
my head.

I inched along the wall in desperate search of refuge. He
caught me about the waist, and dragged me back before him. “Going somewhere?”

I couldn’t decide who he resembled more—the cat with its
canary, or the big bad wolf. He definitely had the predator in him and it made me nervous. And hotter than
a lit match in Hell.

“You’re crowding me,” I said. Where did the Marilyn Monroe
voice come from?

“I know.” He pressed closer and lowered his head to the
crook of my neck. “I like it.”

So tell me, my romancies, who is your favorite hero?PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT we would love to see the flavor of hero you choose. Thanks!

Giveaway: Andris is generously giving away an e~book copy of Angel Unborn to 1 lucky commenter. So please be sure to leave a comment. Giveaway runs from 10/30/12 through 11/5/12. Thanks so much and Good Luck!!! :) (Winner to be chosen by random.org.)

Meet Andris

I blame my mother for my fascination with books. Growing up in northern Indiana there wasn’t much to do and I’d often complained of my boredom. My mom handed me a book and told me to shush. I’ve been obsessed ever since. Though I spent most of my time in between the pages, fantasizing of other worlds, I didn’t write my first book until I’d had three children—just in time to have not a moment to myself. In an attempt to keep my sanity, I write. My favorite stories contain strong heroes and heroines, fighting an attraction stronger than both of them.

I live in eastern North Carolina with my hero and our three mini villains in chaotic bliss.

LOL...I had such a fun time with this post and I can't wait to see what flavors of hero others choose. My flavor of hero choice was actually a tough one and I think that it is a mixture of all six!!! I have to admit that I love Candy Corn!! lol ;pI wanted to thank Andris so much for doing this AWESOME guest post and giveaway and also for contacting me about reviewing Angel Unborn. She is so funny and snarky and I instantly wanted to be her BFF!!! lol :) It was my absolute pleasure to have her on my blog and I hope that she will be back again soon!! I wanted to thank Marquita Valentinealso, for giving Andris my info to contact me. :)

Hi Leela! Love your name! I'm so glad you enjoyed the post. I giggled and chortled as I was writing it. Yeah, the Dove and the Tootsie Pop are similar in their cold demeanor, so I approve your choice. Until you toss in the Candy Corn. Ack! Why do so many peeps like the Candy Corn?! ;} Thank you so much for commenting, Leela, and good luck!